US-Israeli strikes launched during Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s top leadership meeting, sources say

WASHINGTON, DC: Donald Trump confirmed on February 28 that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated US-Israel strikes that, according to American and Iranian sources, were timed to coincide with a high-level leadership meeting.

The dramatic development unfolded Saturday, with two US sources and a US official familiar with the matter saying the attack was launched as Khamenei was meeting with his inner circle.

Iranian sources told Reuters that the Supreme Leader had been in a secure location alongside senior officials just before the strikes began.

US-Israeli strike kills Khamenei during meeting

According to two US sources and a US official, Israel and the United States deliberately timed the operation to strike while Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was gathered with top aides.

Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Khamenei had been meeting with former National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani at a secure location shortly before the strikes began. Israeli officials have said that Khamenei was killed along with key lieutenants, including Shamkhani and Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The targeting of what appeared to be a concentrated leadership meeting has dramatically raised the stakes, suggesting the strikes were aimed not only at military infrastructure but at the very top of Iran’s command structure.

Trump calls Khamenei’s death ‘justice’ in Truth Social post

Trump took to Truth Social later on Saturday to confirm the development.

“Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead. This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,” Trump wrote. He added that Khamenei had been unable to evade “Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems,” claiming that “working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.”

Trump framed the moment as a historic opportunity for the Iranian people. “This was the single greatest chance for the Iranian people to take back their country,” he wrote.

In an interview with NBC News on the same day, Trump told Kristen Welker that his administration believed the reports were accurate. “We feel that is a correct story,” he said, referring to emerging accounts of Khamenei’s death. He added that he believed “most” of Iran’s senior leadership had been eliminated.

“The people that make all the decisions, most of them are gone,” Trump said.

Bombing to continue as Trump signals broader objective

In his social media post, Trump suggested the strikes were part of a broader and ongoing campaign.

“We are hearing that many of their IRGC, Military, and other Security and Police Forces, no longer want to fight, and are looking for Immunity from us. As I said last night, ‘Now they can have Immunity, later they only get Death!’” he wrote. He went further, saying, “Hopefully, the IRGC and Police will peacefully merge with the Iranian Patriots, and work together as a unit to bring back the Country to the Greatness it deserves.”

Trump also signaled that military action was not over. “The heavy and pinpoint bombing, however, will continue uninterrupted throughout the week or as long as necessary to achieve our objective of PEACE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST AND, INDEED, THE WORLD!” he wrote.